Harry Potter and the Flight To the Emerald Tower
by Unwanted-Surprise
Summary: When Voldemort finds a way to become more powerful, Harry and the Order find themselves in a race against time to stop him before it is too late.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but the fan-fic below is mine.  
  
  
  
Harry Potter and the Flight to the Emerald Tower: Prologue  
  
  
  
It was another bleak and dreary day at Number 4 Privet Drive. Harry Potter, a tall, skinny, boy with stubbornly messy black hair and flashing green eyes, lay in his room staring absent mindedly at the ceiling. As tiny and cramped as his room was, Harry knew he'd rather spend his time there then downstairs with the Dursleys. No doubt at that moment Uncle Vernon was sitting on the couch, his fat fingers holding the paper up to his round face, while Dudley watched his favorite evening show and Aunt Petunia fidgeted about the kitchen. The Dursleys, despite their warnings from Mad-Eye and the rest, hadn't treated Harry any better or worse since last summer. In fact, they continued to act as though he wasn't even there.   
  
  
Harry didn't mind their cold shoulders though. It was easier than having their angry eyes and cruel words aimed at him. He'd been in his room for days now, unwilling to come out except on occasion for food and bathroom. He couldn't help reliving Sirius's death each minute of the day. That terrible moment was still fresh in his mind. A memory clearer than the ceiling at which he stared. Everyone told him it would be ok. That it wasn't his fault and that Time would heal all things. But Harry couldn't help feeling that Time would heal nothing. And the guilt of that day was digging a deeper and deeper dent in his soul. Harry couldn't shake the feeling that it was his fault.   
  
  
A sudden knock at the door brought him abruptly back to his little room. The door opened a crack and a head popped through. It was Uncle Vernon. His beady eyes glistening with the usual hatred as he glared at Harry.   
"We're going out for the day. Stay in your room and don't try anything freaky. You hear me, boy?" he said after Harry didn't reply.  
  
  
"Yeah." Harry mumbled. He didn't care enough anymore to give much of a reply. And with a slam of the door Uncle Vernon and his fat head were gone.   
  
  
Harry sat up, grabbed his "History of Quidditch" book off his desk and tried to read. But he was too weary and tired from sorrow and fell back onto his bed with a plop. Within seconds he fell into a deep slumber.  
  
  
He was running. Running from who or what, Harry didn't know. A door appeared ahead of him into view. Harry saw that it was old and black with paint chipping and it's handle, a golden spiral, was tarnished and brown. He sped to it feeling that if he could only reach it and get inside he would be safe. On and on he pressed. It seemed like he was running forever, too afraid to look back to see what was chasing him. Finally Harry reached the door. With a twist of the handle he burst through.   
  
  
He was now in a dark hallway. The smell of decay and dust filled his nostrils. Harry sprinted even faster now as a loud bang echoed mere yards behind him. The creature had come through the door. As he sped down the hallway he looked frantically from side to side in the darkness for a place to hide. But nothing could be seen in or heard in the pitch blackness except for the sound of his feet hitting the floor as he ran giving off loud clapping. It seemed there was no where for him to escape as he ran down the dark hall. But something suddenly caught Harry's eye as he ran. A light had appeared in a room at the far end of the hall. Maybe I will be saved after all, he thought. With new hope Harry sprinted toward the light, pushing his long legs as fast as they would carry him. Harry was inches from the light when the creature caught up to him. It latched onto his ankle with a terrible grip and he fell to the floor with a thud, sending a blinding pain through his entire body.  
  
"No!" he screamed. He couldn't stop now. He was only inches away. But the creature was dragging him. Pulling him back further and further into the darkness. The light was growing dim.  
  
  
Harry Potter awoke with a jolt, scar searing, screams filling his room, only to find his best friend Ron Weasley standing above him with his arm on Harry's shoulder. His red hair matted to his worried face from sweat. His twin brothers Fred and George behind him staring at Harry with looks of mingled shock and worry. 


	2. The House Of Black

Disclaimer: I did not write the Harry Potter story, all credit for that goes to J.K. Rowling, I just wrote the fan-fic below this.  
  
  
Chapter 1: The House of Black  
  
  
  
  
  
"H-Harry, are you ok?" Ron stammered.   
  
  
"Yeah…I'm fine….What are you guys doing here?" he said shrugging Ron's hand off his shoulder and looking down at his curled and notted blankets. His scar was scalding him with pain but he didn't want to mention the dream, so he tried to push the pain out of his mind.  
  
  
"We came to get you. Dumbledore sent us." Fred said walking up to Harry's bedside and looking down at him worriedly. "You sure you're ok, mate? You were screaming your head off when we walked in."  
  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Harry mumbled looking down again at his mound of blankets. Fragments of his dream kept flashing through his mind....A black door and a bright light were the most vivid of the pictures that pushed through. But what could it mean?   
  
  
"C'mon, we better pack your stuff. Dad and Mad-Eye are waiting downstairs." Ron said pulling Harry out of bed.  
  
  
"Where's all your books?" George said scanning the room.  
  
  
"They're hidden in a loose floor board under my bed." Harry said as he reached under, removed the loose board and pulled out the worn pillow case filled with all his school books.   
  
  
"Tricky, mate." Fred said admiringly. "Well lets get you all packed then, shall we?" And with that the four of them scuttled around the room putting all of Harry's things in the trunk. Just as they finished packing the last of Harry's belongings and closed the lid they heard the all too familiar bark of Uncle Vernon.   
  
  
"What do you think you're doing in my home you...you freaks!" he bellowed, puffing his fat chest puffing out like a bird as his face turned cherry red.   
  
  
"Please relax. We're just here to pick up Harry and then we'll leave." Mr. Weasley said pleadingly.   
  
  
"Oh no you're not! That boy is not going anywhere with the likes of you!" he spat slamming his fat fist on the coffee table.   
  
  
"Listen, Dursley," Moody began as he stepped out of the shadow of the yet darkened living room, "Harry is coming with us whether you like it or not and I suggest you not interfere unless you want a whole family with matching pigtails."   
  
  
At that it seemed Uncle Vernon was too angry or too scared to speak. The expression on his face was that of a constipated whale, while Aunt Petunia let out a petrified squeak and Dudley ran squealing from the room holding his fat bottom.   
  
  
"I wonder…" Mr. Weasley began after a moment, "What exactly is the use of this item here?" he continued with a look of utmost curiosity on his face as he picked up the TV remote and examined it closely.  
  
  
Before Uncle Vernon could bellow some harsh answer there was a clunk at the bottom of the steps as Fred and George set Harry's trunk down.  
  
  
"Well…all set then, boys?" Mr. Weasley said pulling his eyes reluctantly away from the remote and smiling at them.  
  
  
"Yeah, we're all packed." George replied as Harry came shuffling down the steps with Hedwig's cage in one arm, she'd been out on the hunt, and his firebolt in the other.   
  
  
"Psst…Hey, Dudley…" Came a whisper from behind Harry, "Want some candy?"   
  
But Dudley only whimpered and ran into the kitchen still covering his hindquarters with his pudgy hands. Harry couldn't help but smile, for the first time in weeks, at the thought of the last time Dudley had taken candy from Fred and George.   
  
"Let's get going then," Moody growled. "Come here all of you. I need to give you the Disillusionment Charm." They did as he said and as Harry's turn came and Moody rapped him hard on the head with his wand, the not yet familiar feeling of the charm visited Harry once again. It felt to him as though something were being smashed on his head like and egg and cold trickles began to spread over his body. Mad-Eye then moved on to Ron who, being it was his first time using the charm, had a look of shock and amazement on his face. Next Moody turned to Fred and George but to the great surprise of all, the twins had preformed the charm on each other.   
  
  
"Nice work…" Moody grumbled as his huge blue eye swiveled around to study the boys more closely.  
  
  
"Off we go then." Mr. Weasley said. His eyes traveling back to the remote laying on the coffee table. "I fancy....c-could I keep this?" he said picking it up.  
  
  
"NO!" Uncle Vernon roared. "GET OUT! GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" And with that they hurried out the front door of Number 4 Privet Drive and into the warm summer night. The screams of Uncle Vernon were muffled as Moody closed the door with a bang.   
  
  
"This time we're going to travel by Port-key," his voice came from behind Harry's head, rough and harsh. "Ministry gave us permission. They can't deny what's happened anymore."   
  
  
Harry followed him as he walked to the back of the house and stood in front of what looked like a worn old bowler hat, colored with pink and black stripes.   
  
  
"Well, this is it." Mr. Weasley said pushing through from behind and standing next to Moody. "Everybody gather 'round."   
  
  
Harry followed suit as each of the Weasleys circled around and grabbed the hat that Mad-Eye was now holding. Within seconds Harry felt a joltd and the recognizable pull behind his navel as they traveled. A minute later their feet hit the ground with a soft thud. Harry let go of the hat and looked around. They were in what appeared to be a forest. Huge trees circled around them like soldiers in an army of wood. Their dark green leaves canvassed them from the moon.   
  
  
"Where are we?" He heard himself say.   
  
  
"We're 3 miles away from headquarters. You didn't think we'd be dropped off in front of the door, did you? You never know who is watching the port-key system. Wouldn't want to lead 'em right to us, now would we?" Moody said staring hard at Harry, his blue eye twirling to face him.  
  
  
"Come on everyone! Mount your brooms! Harry, I'll carry your trunk and Hedwig's cage." Mr. Weasley said as ropes shot out of the end of his wand tightly securing the cage and the trunk to his broom. "Right, everyone set? Ok then, off we go!" he said after each of them nodded in reply.   
  
  
"Ok Harry and Ron, you're in the middle. Fred and George take the sides, and Arthur and I will be above and below you." Moody said in his usual gruff of a voice.   
  
  
Warm air rushed against Harry's face as they flew. It blew his hair and caught in his robes. Higher and higher they went, their speed increasing with each escalation in height. The air became surprisingly chilly and Harry found himself shivering. But he became conscious of the fact that he didn't care much anymore. A shock and a realization had come over him. He was on his way to Sirius's home. How could he face it? They were bringing him to the very place where the memory of Sirius was everywhere. His heart ached and suddenly he felt more alone then ever before. The urge to just turn around and fly away plunged into his mind. But they were descending now and the little dilapidating street of Grimmauld Place was becoming clearer and clearer. There was no turning back. He could not fly away now and even if he could, where would he go? Back to the Dursleys and their cruel words? No. There was no where to run, though his will to leave only became stronger as they got closer. Even harder to resist as they landed across the street. And as they stood there staring at the open space between houses Number 11 and 13 the memories came back to Harry more painfully then ever before.   
  
  
"Well, here we are…" Came a voice in his ear.  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Well, here is the first chapter. Not quite as fixed up as the first, but I'm so tired I don't really care. Next chapter up as soon as possible. 


	3. The Space Between Houses

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter of course. The fan-fic below and it's plot is mine tho.  
  
  
As Harry walked to that space between the houses, his own space, that had formed in his heart after Sirius's death, was getting bigger and bigger. He watched silently as Moody knocked on the invisible door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The familiar screech of Mrs. Black flooded their ears as the door opened. Harry was the only one who didn't seem to mind. In fact, he thought screaming was a very good idea at the moment. He felt he could scream for an eternity.   
  
  
"Come in, Come in…" Came the annoyed voice of Mrs. Weasley as she opened the old door and ushered them inside. "Hello, Harry dear!" she said pulling him into a tight hug that could of cracked a lung. "How are you? My, you look pale!" she said releasing him to get a closer look.   
  
  
"I'm fine…really." He said trying to force a smile. His lips seemed to not want to move.   
  
  
"Oh, I won't hear another word of that poppy-cosh! You go straight up to bed." she commanded as she turned her plump face, still wearing its look of worry, towards Ron and Hermione.   
  
  
"You two, follow me. We need your help in the kitchen. Leave your things here, you can take them upstairs later. Go on, Harry. Up to bed!" she when she noticed he was still standing there. He continued to stand there for a moment more, debating on whether he should really move, but finally gave in resolving that he would much rather be alone anyway. He walked slowly up the creaking steps. The screams of Mrs. Black grew fainter and then stopped abruptly. Harry concluded that someone must have shut the curtains.   
  
  
He felt angrier and angrier with each step he took. How-dare-Dumbledore bring him here? To this house…this house...filled...with the memories of Sirius. Tears welled in Harry's eyes and he fought them off the best he could. Only one escaped him, landing soundlessly on a dusty step.   
  
  
Harry realized painfully that he had no parent to depend on once again. Robbed of his parents at only one year old by Lord Voldemort. Being left to years of torment and mistreatment from the Dursleys. And just when hope came. The hope of a friend, a mentor, someone who would finally free him from the Dursleys, that was all robbed from him by Voldemort once again. And now he was back to were he started. Sure, you could say that he still had Ron and Hermione to depend on, but what did they really know about how he felt? They both had parents and a family. They knew nothing of what he was going through.   
  
Harry looked up. He was at the top of the steps at last. Slowly, lazily, he walked to the bedroom door and opened it. He found quite a surprise waiting for him in the room.  
  
  
A figure was leaning against the post of the beds. It's head full of dark, greasy, hair was cast downwards. A large crooked nose stuck out, barely visible under the hair. The figure's arms were folded in an authortive sort of way. His thick black robe shielded his hands as they cascaded softly to the floor. Harry's brain quickly assessed the images it had just taken in, and he realized instantly who the figure was. It was none other than Professor Snape.   
  
  
"Hello, Potter." Snape said finally looking up his beady eyes focusing on Harry.  
  
  
"W-what are you doing in here?" Harry said staring uneasily at him.  
  
  
"I am here to help you with your Occlumency lessons. And I suggest you watch your mannors, Potter." Snape replied coldy.   
  
  
Harry studied the person before him. There was something that wasn't quite right.... It was Snape's eyes that gave away him away. There was a coldness and a hatred in them that was so strong Harry could barely keep their gaze. In all his years with Professor Snape not once had he ever looked at Harry with such intense loathing. Yes, there was dislike in his eyes whenever he looked at Harry, but nothing compared to this. It made the hair on Harry's neck stand on end.  
  
  
"You're…you're not Professor Snape." he said trying to sound calm and collected, but the quaver in his voice gave him away. Snape, or his imposter as you might say, just stared back at Harry with his cold eyes. A smile played on his thin lips but still he did not answer Harry's question. Instead he straightened to his, or rather Snape's full height.  
  
  
"Who are you?" Harry demanded, taking a step back and pulling out his wand.   
  
  
"Oh, I think you can figure that out rather easily, if you really wanted to, Potter." the imposter said taking a step towards Harry his eyes falling on his wand.   
  
  
"You won't be needing that." he said waving his wand in one swift movement at Harry, causing Harry's wand to fly from his hand into the Imposter's at lightening speed.   
  
  
  
Author's Note: Another edited Chapter. Next Chapter as soon as possible. 


	4. The Imposter

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter story or it's characters and objects of it's world.  
  
  
  
Chapter 3: The Imposter  
  
  
  
  
Harry stared. His eyes darting back and forth from his wand to 'Snape's' scowling face. Suddenly a reckless rage filled him. A rage that had been building up inside him since the death of Sirius.  
  
  
"It was pretty stupid of you to come here, you know." He said, his eyes glazing over with hatred. "One Death Eater in a house filled with good witches and wizards. You can't accomplish much."  
  
  
The Imposter's eyes seemed to grow even colder. Bullets of ice seemed to replace them, ready at any moment to release themselves on Harry.  
  
  
"Oh yes…yes, you're right, Harry." The Imposter said tilting his head slightly. His face become an even more wicked scowl. "I can't accomplish much, except maybe killing you."   
  
  
"Why would you want to kill me?" Harry glared.  
  
  
"My you learn slowly. How did you survive the Dark Lord all those times?" The Imposter snickered. "But I suppose it is harder to kill a rat then it might look. They find ways to weasel into even the tinniest cracks."  
  
  
Harry stared angrily at 'Snape'. The reckless rage still pulsing through his veins like a drug.   
  
  
"Anyway…Tell me, what are they planning? For surely they are planning something." he said as he began to pace.  
  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry said coldly.   
  
  
"Ooh, but you do, Harry. I know you do." 'Snape' said as he returned to his place at the bed posts and began tapping his wand impatiently against his left hand. Harry's wand now sticking slightly out of his left pocket. "Sit down. You'll be in less of a position to try anything stupid. I don't want to kill you before I have to."  
  
  
Harry didn't move. Instead he stood there defiantly glaring at the Imposter.   
  
  
"Oh, alright! I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." The Imposter said waving his hand impatiently in the air and pointing his wand at Harry intolerantly. Suddenly sharp pains began shooting through Harry's legs, weaving their way through his muscles like needles through cloth.  
  
  
"Sit!" the Imposter growled. But Harry would not budge. He was determined not to give in. And to his dismay the pain only got worse until finally his legs gave out from underneath him as a stabbing pain shooted through his calves. He hit the floor with thud.   
  
  
"Good." 'Snape' said grinning maliciously. "Little Harry learned to sit! I bet your parents will be so proud when you tell them….Wait a moment. They're dead! My mistake." His grin became even larger now, exposing his or rather Snape's yellow teeth.  
  
  
"You're never going to get away with this. Even if you kill me, they'll find you!" Harry said through gritted teeth.  
  
  
"Now, what was I saying before? Oh yes! You were about to tell me what they are planning! So go on! Tell." He said as though Harry hadn't said anything at all.  
  
  
  
"I told you! I know nothing!" Harry yelled. He hoped someone would hear him downstairs though he doubted very much that they would. They were probably working busily in the noisy kitchen; oblivious to what was going on just above their heads.  
  
  
"Shall we do this the hard way, Harry? I guess so…" The Imposter said an evil grin spreading across his face as he pointed his wand at Harry.  
  
  
Suddenly an immense pressure began to build in Harry's head. Tighter and tighter it seemed to press on his brain. It felt like his whole head might explode at any second. He wanted to scream. It became so intense that Harry was convinced someone was crushing his skull. He bit his lip as hard as he could. He would not scream for this…this…thing in front of him. He was not going give him that satisfaction.  
  
  
"Just tell me, Harry, and it'll go away." The Imposter said looking pleased.  
  
  
"NEVER!" Harry choked and as he said this the pressure lifted giving him the chance to think. He knew nothing, and he knew that even if he did know something he would never tell. They could torture him all they like. At least he would die doing what's right. He would die bravely like his parents and Sirius.  
  
  
"Oh, but I'm afraid you will tell me, Harry. You most certainly will."   
  
  
The pressure began once again. This time it was not only in Harry's head but in his whole body. Every organ felt like it was ready to burst. Harry couldn't stand the pain much longer. The room was growing dim. 'Snape's' face becoming fainter…  
  
  
"Harry?! Harry dear, are you awake? Oh Ron, would you be a love and go fetch Harry? Poor boy must be asleep. He's had a long day." Came the distance voice of Mrs. Weasley as the footsteps of Ron echoed up the steps.  
  
  
The pressure began to disappear once again. The room and it's colors reappearing vibrantly. 'Snape' looked worried. Suddenly he lunged at Harry and grabbed him by the shoulders.  
  
  
"Tell me! Tell me now! Hurry!" he said shaking Harry. But Harry was too weak to speak and wouldn't if he could. "TELL ME!!" he began shaking Harry even harder as something fell out of his left pocket.   
  
  
"Harry? Are you awake? Who's in there with you?" Ron's said his voice soaking through the door.   
  
  
The door knob began to turn and the Imposter let go of Harry and sprang up.   
  
  
"You've been saved this time, Harry. Make no mistake there won't be a next." And with that he dissapperated.  
  
  
"Harry?" Ron said poking his head through the door. "Who's voice was tha- Mum! Come quick! Harry's hurt!"   
  
  
  
  
Author's note: I actually hate this chapter with a passion. I was going to re-write it all, but I decided out of laziness to just leave it be. 


	5. The Punishment

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter stories, but the fic below is mine.

Chapter 4: The Punishment

"You mean to tell me that he didn't get ONE scrap of information out of the boy?" hissed a pallid skinned man as he spun around and faced a blond haired wizard in front of him. His eyes scarlet red, burned like fire with hatred bore into the man.  
  
"W-well…no, Master….He tried…b-but the boy, he wouldn't speak…." the man said groveling on the ground and kissing the hems of his master's robes.  
  
"Stand up you FOOL! You're on the edge of my patience!" He said kicking the man in the face. The man whimpered and covered his mouth, but stood up quickly. Blood trickled, like rivers of red, from his nose and lips. "Bring him to me."   
  
"Y-yes, my Lord….Straight away…." said the pale wizard as he bowed down, his long hair covering his pointed chin slightly. He left the room hastily and came back a few seconds later with the body of a man floating three feet in front of him. The man was dressed in all black robes, and his greasy hair hung loosely behind his head.   
  
"Fetch the potion, I want him awake." the white skinned wizard in a voice harder than steel, colder than ice. Lucius Malfoy let the body of Snape drop with a thud onto the wooden floor and scuttled obediently out of the room. Within seconds he entered again holding a small vile containing a black liquid that foamed and bubbled. He pulled Snape's head back by his hair and poured the concoction down his throat. Snape's beady eyes shot open immediately and he began coughing and sputtering.  
  
"Leave us, Lucius." the man said with pure hatred pouring from his voice.   
  
"Yes, Master..." he said and again he bowed down and kissed the hems of his Master's robes before hurrying out of the room.  
  
"Do you know why you're here, Severus?" The man asked as though speaking to a child, but his tone was mocking and cold. Snape sat up quickly and not reply at once. Then he said:   
  
"T-to serve you, my Lord…." his voice was uneasy and his eyes were fixed on the wooden floor.   
  
"To serve me….Yes. Did you do that, Severus? Did you serve me? Where you serving me when I sent you to collect that retched Potter boy? Where u serving me when all you did was question that vile plague of a creature with the simplest of questions?"  
  
"M-my Lord, I- I assure you, I had no other intentions but following you're orders….And I was doing so….w-when I seemed to have lost conciousness….I beg you, please forgive me…" Snape pleaded, rolling onto his knees and touching his forehead to the ground.  
  
"No, Fool, you were not serving me. I could not depend on you. I had to depend on more LOYAL, obedient servants. Do you know what happened to you, when you lost all consciousness?" he said as though Snape had never spoke. Then he walked slowly, maniacally, to Snape and grabbed him by the hair forcing Snape to look into his eyes. They were filled with hatred and loathing and an evil that none could fully describe. "Answer me, Severus…" he said letting Snape's head drop.  
  
"No, Master...I do not know..."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you can guess, being that you are SOMEWHAT learned in Occlumency. Enough to teach that disgrace to the wizard race….Even the most bludgerantfool could guess."   
  
"...I-I am not sure, my Lord...." he hesitated.  
  
"Answer me you, blundering IDIOT!" Voldemort hissed as he grabbed Snape by the hair once again and snapped his neck back so that his crooked nose was pointed at the ceiling.   
  
"O-one would think, my L-lord, that One was possessed...." Snape said in a pained voice barely above whisper.  
  
A bitter smile played on Voldemorts thin lips, and his eyes looked colder than ice.  
  
"Possessed you say? You surprise me. I would have guessed that someone with your intelligence would have taken at least five guesses before coming up with correct answer." he ridiculed, opening his mouth and letting harsh laughter escape and fill the room. Suddenly he stopped laughing and pulled out his wand. His snake eyes were gleaming as they looked at Snape. "CRUCCIO!" he bellowed and this time it was Snape's screams that filled the room.  
  
  
Author's note: Most people are going to get confused by this chapter, but don't worry, I'll explain it. 


	6. The Cabin In the Hills

Disclaimer: I did not create Harry Potter or it's characters and world (I wish I did tho!). 

Chapter 5: Cabin in the Hills

When Harry awoke, besides noticing the immense aching of his body, he became aware that he was no longer in the headquarters of the Order, but in some new place. The room around him was rather dark and bare except for a small lamp on a stool by his bed, which cast misshapen shadows around the room with dim yellow light. 

Footsteps echoed outside the door and instinctively he reached for his wand, but he then remembered that the Imposter had taken it from him. How would he do magic now? Would they get him a new wand, he thought. But then he realized that he did not want a new wand. He wanted his old wand. He'd grown rather attached to it, now that he thought about it. That wand had been with him through thick and thin. That wand had been with him when he'd fought Vold- He stopped his thoughts abruptly and looked at the shabby wooden door. Its handle was twisting. Someone was coming in. Harry could feel his heart pounding his throat. The door opened to reveal a bushy haired girl with a large smile on her face.

"HARRY! HARRY! OH- HARRY, YOU'RE AWAKE!! RON! RON! GET IN HERE! HARRY'S AWAKE! Ooh! We've been SO worried about you!! We thought you were dead!" she squealed running over to him and hugging him. He could feel her tears wet his cheek as her face brushed up against him.

"Hermione! Let him breathe! He just woke up! You're going to make him pass out again if you don't let him go!" came Ron's voice in the doorway. Though it didn't sound angry, rather it sounded relieved. 

"Where are we? H-how long have I been unconscious?" he asked hurriedly as Hermione let go. He looked at Ron who was smiling broadly, and then at Hermione. She still had tears in her eyes but beamed at him. He was afraid she might start hugging him again, but she did not, instead she began to answer his questions.

"We are in the new headquarters. It's a small cabin in the mountains just outside of Hogwarts. Dumbledore thought it best that we moved now that the enemy knows where the old headquarters is. He doesn't think the House of Black is safe anymore. We moved everything that we needed and headed up here as quickly as we could. We did all this in the three days you've been unconscious."

"What about the Imposter? Did you guys catch him, or at least figure out who he was? And my wand? What about my wand?" Harry asked turning his eyes back and forth on each of them as he spoke.

"We didn't catch the Imposter, but Dumbledore reckons he knows who it was. The adults do too, but no one will tell us anything." Ron spoke for the first time since he saw Harry awake. 

"I have an idea…." said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Well, what is it then?" said Harry almost impatiently. 

"Well, if you think about it…. No one could get into the headquarters unless Dumbledore told them first. And Dumbledore would not be stupid enough to let anyone untrustworthy know where headquarters was. So, it would have to be someone from the Order…." she said in a measured voice.

"You don't reckon it was the real Snape, do you?" said Harry sitting up even farther in the bed.

"Well, who else could it be? Unless someone used the Pollyjuice potion and took the form of Snape, which I find highly unlikely, because that would take months. And no one knew for sure until three days before they went and got Harry from Private Drive, that he was coming to headquarters. That would certainly NOT be enough time to make the Pollyjuice potion." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"So Snape really IS a Death Eater! I KNEW it!" Ron said walking over and sitting on small bed across from Harry's.

"Well, we don't know for sure. There might be other possibilities…."Hermione said in a voice thick with thought. 

"Oh come ON, Hermione! Snape has hated Harry for years! I bet he would give ANY excuse to attack him!" said Ron in a voice of outrage. 

"What other possibilities do you think there are, Hermione? There are none! Think about it! Ron is right. Snape HAS hated me since the first day I stepped foot at Hogwarts! He's crazy! We always knew he was up to no good! Now this proves it!" Harry said angrily. He was offended that Hermione was defending Snape after what he had just done to him. Who else could it be, after all? Hermione said herself that it had to have been someone from the Order. She had also said that it couldn't be someone from the Order posing to be Snape, because they wouldn't of had time to make the Pollyjuice potion. So who else could it be, but Snape himself?

"Well…" she began slowly. "I did read about this one spell in _Hidden Potions Uncovered: Everything You Need To Know And More_ by Frederick Binsly. It's called the _Padamento Curse. _It's a very complicated spell. It gives you the ability to possess a person's body, but it wears off within an hour, and it's a very complicated spell to perform. You need the person to drink a special potion and then, when you want to take possession of their body, you need to say these words: _Cerebralis Y Cerebralis Connbre Core." _ Only the most advanced witches and wizards can pull it off."

"So you mean…you mean…that someone possessed Snape and attacked Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yes, that could be exactly it. But we can't know for sure…." She said biting her bottom lip.

Author's note: I actually still want to write more, but this is a really long chapter already. I hope I explained enough that people are starting to not be confused. More will be explained in the next few chapters.


	7. The Eavesdropper

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters and world. Blah blah blah.

Chapter 6: The Eavesdropper

Harry laid in bed for the rest of the day. Now and then people from the Order came to visit him when they popped in at the new headquarters. Their reactions were much the same as Ron and Hermione's. Mrs. Weasley had hurried over to Harry with delight and swept him up in a tight hug and upon letting him breath, rushed him with a bunch of worried questions.

"Oh Harry! I was SO worried…. Are you feeling alright? Would you like some soup? Do you feel warm? Lay back down now! I'll be right back…." she said and made for the kitchen.

"No, Mrs. Weasley! Please. I'm fine…_really_…." Harry had called after her pleadingly, but she only made a face and left for the kitchen. Within a moment she was back with a warm bowl of soup for him to eat. 

"There, there, Harry. Eat up! You'll need to regain your strength!" she had said with a hint of sternness in her voice as she watched him eat.

Harry dropped his head back onto his pillow with a plop and closed his eyes. Sleep crept up on him ever so slowly, and just as it was about to pounce, loud and worried voices erupted in the kitchen. Harry sat up bolt right. He leaned his head forward towards the door and tried to listen, but it was no good, the voices were muffled and distant. Harry guessed that the owners of the voices where in the living room. He got up slowly out of bed, wincing in pain with each movement. He could hear the voices slightly better now as he opened the door a crack and peered out. He could see two red heads at the bottom of the stairs.

"How badly is he hurt?" Mrs. Weasley said worriedly.

"We're not sure. Mundungus found him while on guard, lying unconscious by the Tunnel….." Mr. Weasley answered, sounding distraught but as though he still had his wits very much about him.

Harry wondered what the Tunnel was and why it was being guarded. He leaned forward and opened the door a bit more.

"Where is he now? Does Dumbledore kno-" Mrs. Weasley stopped. Harry had leaned on the door too far and it creaked loudly, echoing through the quiet cabin. 

"Look, we'll talk about this later." Mr. Weasley said in a cautioned voice. "They're bringing him here, so get things ready for him, ok Molly? I've got to go." Harry heard the door close, and then he closed his own door and slid back into his bed. 

Who was hurt? Well, they're bringing whoever it is here, so he would find out soon enough…. But what about this Tunnel Mr. Weasley had mentioned…. What _was_ it…? Why was it so important that they must guard it? Harry was bursting to talk to Hermione and Ron. Where are they? he thought impatiently. But they answer to his question came quickly. Hermione had just walked in the room with Ron at her wake. They both looked pleased. 

"Where WERE you two?" Harry asked impatiently. "I have to tell you something…." 

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron said sitting on the bed and looking at Harry. Quickly Harry recounted the events he had just heard for them.

Author's note: Sorry if it isn't so good. I wrote this rather quickly.


End file.
